Bill Sykes' Newsletter from America.
(Summer 2002)
An ex-Brit gives his views-(without fear
or favor)---of the American Scene
Follow the money!
I have read several reports of mounting anti-Semitic demonstrations
taking place in a number of countries recently.
Even the taxpayers of the United States are finally questioning,
and demanding an accounting for the $5 billion plus per
annum donations from the United States to Israel over the
past fifty years.
 Of
course Israel is not the only country to have received monetary
handouts from the United States for expected favors. The
assumption is that whoever pays the piper calls the tune
and Mr. Sharon's blatant refusal to agree to consider United
States peace proposals, and his refusal to entertain the
demands that a timetable be established for Israeli Forces
withdrawal from West Bank locations, has caused a degree
of consternation amongst some factions of the American public.
The price of doing business.
It was announced shortly after Mr. Sharon met recently
with President Bush in Washington that Mr. Sharon walked
away with a promise of a sum of $200 million, (in addition
to the annual handout of around $5 billion), in order, (one
would assume), for Israel to refurbish the arms and ammunition
expended by them in their use of "Military force to
subdue the recalcitrant natives". (I love that phrase).
In order to be fair, America's benevolence extended to
the provision of a gift of $50 million to the PLO in order
to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinian Arabs.
Wonder what the United States gets for its $200 million
donation these days?
Breaking news, (Monday 13th of May 2002)
 The
Israeli Government voted against the institution of a Palestinian
Arab State, and the right wing Likud party declared "There
will be no Palestinian State west of the Jordan River".
This vote is seen as a victory for former Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has made no secret of the
fact that he intends to replace Ariel Sharon as party leader.
If the decision is legal and binding, then I assume that
we must consider the Oslo peace agreement to be now null
and void.
This is obviously a "slap in the face" for the
Bush administration, and one must now consider that the
time has obviously come for the United States to take retaliatory
action against Israel's arrogant refusal to cooperate in
the Middle East peace process, remembering of course that
the Palestinian Arabs must also share the blame for non-cooperation
on the same issue.
The main weapon of reprisal for the United States, which
the Israelis would certainly understand, appears to be the
immediate cutting off of all funds to Israel.
|
